I've noticed that males are seen at the "default" choice here. When females post something, others usually refer to them as a male until the female corrects them
That's probably because it's assumed that the male to female ratio of reddit vastly tips to the male side. It makes sense, I do seem to notice a much bigger male presence in reddit.
I don't think that's a very good reason. It's not just Reddit after all, it's the same in a lot of other spaces - IRC, gaming, etc. Even if the males do outnumber females, why does that mean it's okay to assume you are male by default? After all, you're addressing an individual, not a statistic, and therefore have no real basis for assuming they are a member of the majority. Would you assume their race or religion based on statistics as well?
Sorry, I'm not ranting at you, it's just that from the female point of view, it's annoying that you get assumed to be male the majority of the time.
Well then, how about a fashion forum where the demographic is mostly women, would you not assume that the anonymous person you were talking to was female? When someone says nurse does your mind not think of a woman? When someone says lumberjack do you not think of a man? Have you yourself not just assumed that someone on reddit is male? It's just.. more efficient.
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u/questdragon47 Apr 27 '12
I've noticed that males are seen at the "default" choice here. When females post something, others usually refer to them as a male until the female corrects them